Detroit Free Press Pop Music Writer

The Zac Brown Band perform in concert Dec. 31, 2012, at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. / Tim Galloway/Special to the Free Press

Madonna performs at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Nov. 8. Joe Louis usually stages about a dozen concerts and other entertainment events each year. The Palace of Auburn Hills hosts more than 40 annually. / Gary Malerba/Invision/Associated Press

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For touring performers and their booking agents, a new Detroit arena could be a bright, shiny object that’s hard to resist.

The proposed 18,000-seat arena, conceived as the centerpiece of Woodward Avenue’s entertainment district, would be more than just a new home for the Detroit Red Wings. Officials are billing it as a multipurpose venue that would host concerts and entertainment events year-round.

Since talk of the proposed venue began percolating several years ago, concert industry experts have told the Free Press that a new arena will likely become an instant magnet for many acts as they sketch out Detroit tour stops.

That could have big implications for the Palace of Auburn Hills, which has reigned as the market’s top entertainment arena for a quarter century. The Palace may find itself facing the same scenario its own 1988 opening presented to Joe Louis Arena: the threat of a younger, fresher competitor across town.

The Palace typically hosts more than 40 concerts and other entertainment events annually, while Joe Louis usually stages about a dozen each year. Live Nation and AEG, the nation’s two biggest concert promoters, book tour dates in both venues.

Both venues have their marquee moments. Premium shows at the Palace in the past year have included Bruce Springsteen, Radiohead, Pink and Maroon 5, while Joe Louis has hosted dates by Madonna, the Who and Rihanna.

Geography adds its own twist to the mix. Many top-drawing acts make a point to hit both venues over time -- often on the same tour -- banking that they can tap a wider audience: pulling from Downriver and the western end of metro Detroit with Joe Louis Arena, and from Flint and upper Oakland County at the Palace. Recent examples have included Roger Waters, Muse and Justin Bieber.

Even with the potential allure of a new downtown venue, it's important to note that the Palace isn't just any old arena: More than $100 million has been invested in renovations and upgrades through the years, first by late owner Bill Davidson and then by Tom Gores’ Platinum Equity Group, which purchased Palace Sports & Entertainment in 2011.

The company also owns DTE Energy Music Theatre, traditionally one of the country’s busiest summer concert venues.

The Palace and DTE “are well established as the premier arena and outdoor amphitheatre concert venues in the region,” Platinum partner Mark Barnhill wrote Wednesday in an e-mail to the Free Press. “We don't foresee anything changing that.”